Proposed Federal Standards for Foods Marketed to Kids Praised

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The federal government is headed in exactly the right direction with the draft nutrition standards proposed for foods that are marketed to children. If adopted, the landscape of kids’ food advertising would shift quite dramatically in favor of foods that promote health, and away from foods that promote obesity and disease. If these standards are adopted, it would be one of the most significant developments in this area in 30 years.

Food marketers, and their self-regulatory body, the Children’s Food and Beverage Advertising Initiative, should adopt these standards on a voluntary basis. Rather than trying to weaken these standards, I hope that the industry sees the Interagency Working Group's recommendations as a wake-up call, and soon phases out the discredited practice of marketing junk food to kids altogether.